


Forgotten Friendships

by Castiel_Left_His_Mark_On_Me



Series: Destiel/ Cockles Shorts [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, Bars and Pubs, Drinking, Established Relationship, Flirting, Friendship, Humor, Jokes, M/M, Sam-Centric, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:19:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3792949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castiel_Left_His_Mark_On_Me/pseuds/Castiel_Left_His_Mark_On_Me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam is happy for his brother and their friend - he's happy they found happiness with each other; but why does the angel have to make it so damn awkward all the time? He's sick of it ... Dean's sick of it too. Dean is so sick of it in fact, that he finally makes Sam and Cas go out on their own, just the two of them. He wants them to bond and get over all the weirdness ... Sam isn't sure if it'll work, but he quickly finds, there's a lot of hidden gems that come with hanging out with an angel of the lord.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgotten Friendships

            It’s actually been more fun than he thought it would be—drinking with the angel. Ever since Cas and Dean had started _seeing each other_ , things have been awkward between them. Not that Sam cares even slightly that his brother is now boning their friend (even though, Sam does miss the peaceful nights in the bunker. Cas has a tendency to let out some of his high pitched, glass shattering angel-talk whenever he and Dean are … _you know_. He wonders if Dean wears ear plugs when they do it)—no, he’s really happy for them. But Cas is the one making it awkward. He fumbles around Sam and stutters on every word. He apologizes for _everything_ , whether it’s reaching for the same book that he does, or if they just happen to make eye contact at any given moment, _he apologizes_. It has been getting pretty annoying actually—not just for Sam, but for Dean too. His older brother finally shoved them both out the front door and told them to get drinks, bond—do _whatever_ they have to do because he was getting _real_ tired of the weirdness. Sam was dreading the idea the entire drive to the bar, thinking he was in for one of the most painful nights in his life ( _and he’s been to hell_ ) but, it’s actually been alright. Ironically—or maybe, not so ironically … Cas is a pretty good wingman. Dean always says _he’s_ the best wingman Sam could ask for, but—the angel has a way of knowing how to motivate him unlike his brother does. It’s not by throwing him into the deep end—he doesn’t just call the women over and then make up some horrible lies to try and appear impressive before giving a wink and walking away. _No_ , Castiel is too intuitive for that. He actually talked it out with him—figured out _why_ Sam might be interested in someone.

           Right at the start of the night, he noticed Sam’s eyes dragging towards a particularly leggy girl standing in the corner, seeming awkward next to her smiling friends.

            “Are you feeling sorry for her, or are you _intrigued_ by her?” Cas asked, finally taking a sip of the drink Sam had ordered him. He quickly grimaced and Sam wondered if the guy was just tasting all the molicules again.

            “Oh, uh … _both_ , maybe.”

            Castiel smiled and glanced over to the girl once more, then back to Sam. “She reminds me of you.”

            “Me too … a bit, I guess. I mean, _well_ … I think I know how she is feeling right now” Sam said while sliding his thumbs along his beer.

            “And how’s that?”

            Sam looked up to the angel’s eyes—blue and thrumming with sincerity. “Well … I think she feels like this is not _her_ kind of place, or at least … it’s not when she’s surrounded by people who are only here to hook up. I think she would rather just sit somewhere and talk—somewhere a little darker, where people can’t see her face and know what she’s thinking.”

            Castiel nodded thoughtfully and then looked back to the woman, inspecting her for a long while—much in the way he does with Dean, as if he was reading every letter ever to be etched into her skin. “I think …” he began, sighing after another moment and turning back to the tall man across the table. “I think you should go show her that you understand. I think it might improve this evening for her, and in turn, improve yours as well.”

            Sam huffed a little laugh and shook his head. “ _Nah_ , man. I’m sure she doesn’t want to talk to me. Besides, w _e’re_ supposed to be here to bond or whatever, remember?”

            “Well, yes … but you and I have always bonded better when we are assisting a third party. _Given_ , that party is usually _Dean_ , but we can stray the beaten path every now and then.”

            Sam smiled, taking in his friend’s face and remembering all the times they had worked together in the past. They _did_ make a good team, even if they drove each other kind of nuts in the process.  He then glanced back to the girl. “You … you _really_ think I should go talk to her?”

            Castiel gave a soft, crooked smile before nodding once more. “I think that you, Sam Winchester … are most comfortable when you’re saving someone, and even though that girl is not facing a demon at the moment, she may just still need to be saved. You would both be better off if you go speak with her.”

            The grin that split his lips felt raw and foreign, but good and genuine—something he hasn’t truly felt in years. “Thanks Cas. I … I think I’m gonna do it.”

            The angel quickly put on a grin to match his friend’s and narrowed his eyes as the tall Winchester rose to his feet. “Good luck, my friend.”

            After another moment, Castiel was left at the table, choking down the rest of his drink—the image of Sam behind him, reaching out to shake a shy girl’s hand.

***

            “I can’t believe I did that” Sam groans into his own folded arms. His shaggy hair splays out across the table.

            “It comes with being human” Cas offers, but Sam still doesn’t look up, he only groans louder. “It _also_ comes with vessels. Human forms are unpredictable—all these … _fluids_ and _orifices_. It is just begging for trouble if you ask me. I’m not sure what my father was thinking in this particular design.”

            Sam finally lifts his head to see the angel look down to inspect himself, almost falling off the side of his chair as he does. “Are you … are you _drunk_?”

            Castiel glances back up and then giggles—a sound that Sam thinks sounds rather creepy coming from the usually stoic angel of the lord. “Yes. I discovered this establishment has very large kegs in the back of which you can sample the various kinds of alcohol. I might have sampled a hefty amount.” He smirks, lowering his head sheepishly. “I find, I can taste more with larger quantities.”

            Sam furrows his brow, “Cas, these places usually don’t have areas to sample things—not _for free_ at least. Where exactly did you go?”  

            “Well _this_ _one_ does. I found it out in their back lot. I wandered out there to look at the stars. I find them quite a bit more pleasing to watch then the slobby, overweight men in here.” He gestures to a few _trucker-types_ sitting at the bar—ass cracks hanging out for the world to see. The angel grimaces.

            The confused look is still playing heavily on Sam’s face and it remains there until his gaze finally travels to the sign above the bar. His eyes widen and he feels his already burning flesh get redder. “Cas! This is a _micro-brewery._ Those were their _tanks!_ They weren’t meant for you to drink outta them!”

            The angel’s face suddenly turns indignant. “ _No, Sam_. The tanks said ‘complimentary’ on the sides … meaning _free._ It was intended for me to sample.”

            Sam groans, feeling too drunk himself to be dealing with this. “No, Cas! You don’t understand … It said _Complementary_ —with an _E_ … meaning ‘balanced’, meaning the name of this bar! ‘Complementary Micro Brews’. Unless you think the table, coasters and _all_ their glassware is free too!” he holds up one of the coasters with the bar’s label scrawled across it to emphasize his point. “Just how much _did_ you drink?” He shutters with his own question, knowing that it took a whole liquor store to get the angel smashed last time.

            Castiel pinches his face together and lets his eyes wander up into the distance, as if he really has to think about it – and Sam worries, _maybe he does._ “Well, there were three tanks out back, each capable of holding approximately a hundred gallons, if I estimated correctly. So, I would say I consumed maybe … two hundred and twenty five gallons.”

            “ _Holy sh_ —” Sam cuts himself short, stumbling to his feet and grabbing at the angel’s arm. “We got to get out of here. If this place has cameras and if they find their tanks empty … we are going to have one hell of a tab to pay!”

            Cas attempts to stand but crumbles with his own weight, falling into Sam’s arms. He lets out another, ominous giggle as the man drags him upright. After the angel is steady, Sam fishes into his back pocket and pulls out a several twenties, dropping them on the table to pay for the drinks that bar knew about. He knows that even with his own round of beers, Cas’s and the few drinks he bought the girl, he’s still leaving them a decent tip. _Well_ , “decent” until they find they’re out of stock for the _next three months_. After some more awkward stares and a few knocked over barstools thanks to the stumbling angel, they finally make it back to Cas’s car. Sam slides his friend into the passenger seat, taking extra care not to shut the guy’s coat in the door. The angel doesn’t notice—he only leans his head against the window and smiles up at Sam—giving him a little wave.

            “Oh boy …” Sam mumbles, wandering around to the driver’s side. He quickly climbs in and puts the keys in the ignition, feeling endlessly grateful that _he_ drove over here in the first place and doesn’t have to search the drunk angel’s pockets.

            “You really shouldn’t be driving, Sam. You’re intoxicated” Cas growls, reaching over to try and pull the keys from the underside of the wheel.

            Sam bats his hand away and gives him a look that somehow manages to tame his bumbling friend. “I’m not as _intoxicated_ as you are, and that doesn’t matter right now … what matters is getting out of here before this place finds out you just put them out of business!” With that, Sam lets the engine roar to life just before slamming his foot on the gas and peeling down the road and away from the bar.

            “What if we get pulled over?” Cas asks after another moment, still looking out the window and up at the stars.

            “I’m going to stop up here so we can sit it out and sober up. We don’t need this night getting any _more_ crazy.” They drive another few miles before finally turning into a viewpoint off the side of the highway. If it were light out, they would be able to see the river rushing against the rocks—but as the engine quiets, and the clicks and pops fade into the night, they can only hear the water … leaving them to imagine the sight instead.

            “So, did you get that girl’s number?” Cas asks, breaking the tense silence that had grown between them.

            “ _Really_? You think that between me accidently spitting in her face, and us having to rush out of there after you basically robbed that bar—I somehow managed to ask her for her number?” Sam glares at Castiel, and the angel finally turns to meet his eyes—only shrugging in response. “ _No_ …” he scoffs. “I did not get her number.”

            Castiel nods and leans his head back in his seat, shifting his body down to seemingly get more comfortable. Sam does the same— _they’re going to be here a while._ “Well, that might be for the best. Embarrassing moments like that _are_ hard to recover from; unless you could erase her memory.” The angel quiets and in another moment, he starts to chuckle to himself, finally letting his body shake into a continuous, silent laugh.

            “What?” Sam asks, not able to keep himself from smiling. The sight of the angel legitimately laughing was too endearing for him to ignore.

            “Well, I had a similar experience the first time I met your brother.”

            Sam jokes a little more before his foggy brain catches up. “Wait … _what_? You mean in that barn?”

            Castiel nods and continues to giggle to himself.

            Sam turns towards the windshield, trying hard to remember everything Dean had told him about that day. He said Cas came through the barn doors—all _badass_ , busting the lights and shaking the roof. Then he said that he and Bobby shot just about every round they had at the guy and when _that_ didn’t work—Dean finally stabbed him. Sam isn’t sure how _any of that_ is similar to him chatting with a girl for the better part of an hour—proceeding to get drunk with her and then finally ruining it all by accidently sending a giant glob of spit slapping against her cheek. He closes his eyes and curses himself as he remembers the look of disgust on her face. Even with all his apologies and the large stack of napkins he handed her, he knew that he blew it. In any event, _none_ of that was the same as meeting an angel of the lord. “I still don’t get what you mean” he says, turning back to Cas who has finally calmed down. “How is me spitting on a girl the same as Dean shooting and stabbing you?”

            “That was _after_ ” Cas responds groggily, and Sam thinks the booze is starting to take its ugly toll.

            “After what?”

            “After I erased his memory.”

            “ _What_?” Sam barks, practically flipping in his seat to face Castiel. “What do you mean _erased his memory?”_

             Another wheezy laugh fills the cab of the car “It really is rather amusing. Dean still doesn’t know. I suppose I will have to tell him at some point.”

            “Doesn’t know _what_?” Sam feels himself starting to panic. He knows that was a very scary time for him and his brother—and the fact that there are things they apparently don’t know about it makes all those fears rush back.

            “Well, Dean thinks we met inside that barn, but that isn’t necessarily true.”

            Sam cocks his head to the side and lets his mouth fall open a little, trying to decipher the angel’s cryptic speech. “What? He knows that you guys technically first met in hell.”

            Cas turns and gives Sam a look that implies he might be the biggest idiot in all of humanity. “No. I reached _his soul_ in hell, but his physical form—as you know, seeing that _you buried it_ , I did not meet until _after_ I released his soul back into his body.”

            His last three beers and the tumbler of whiskey damn his understanding, leaving him only to shift in his seat and shake his head some more.

            Castiel sighs and relents to leaning into the confused Winchester. “Your brother thinks that when _my_ physical form—meaning _this_ _vessel_ , and _his_ physical form first _truly_ met, it was inside that barn after he and Bobby pointlessly warded it; when in fact, I had met him about an hour and a half before that, when they first had arrived. I had been tracking them, you see. He was my charge after all … I was always keeping a close watch on his whereabouts.”

            “Okay, so …” Sam is starting to feel slightly calmer with his meager understanding “so, why didn’t Dean tell me that?”

            “Because he doesn’t remember it. Like I said, I erased his memory” Cas states matter-of-factly.

            Sam lifts his hand to halt the angel’s words. “So—you … you erased my brother’s memory? _Why_?”

            Cas sighs again, looking flustered with the fact that this conversation is _still_ going on. “Yes, for the third time, I erased his memory and I did so because our first interactions were … _unfortunate._ ”

            “Unfortunate- _how_?” Sam asks, feeling himself starting to get a little angry on behalf of his brother.

            “Well, I originally approached him when he had pulled up to the barn. He got out of his car and I appeared in front him, saying I was Castiel and I was the one who raised him from his fiery damnation. He of course, overreacted—as he _often_ does, and he punched me. But I was still getting used to this vessel … all these _joints_ and the coordination was difficult when you are actually a few thousand feet tall and cramming your being inside a new, six-foot casing. In any event, I tumbled back and landed into a mess of cow droppings and mud. I could hear Bobby laughing and that is when I knew I had to erase Dean’s memory. He would not be able to take me seriously if I smelled of manure.” Castiel pauses, his gaze drifting with the reminiscence—as if it’s something to be fond of. “I also considered smiting Bobby because his endless remarks about me being a ‘shitty excuse for an angel’ grated on my _every_ nerve. I quickly reconsidered though. Dean would probably not appreciate me ridding the world of his companion, he would be less likely to follow heaven’s path for him if I did. So, I erased _both_ of their memories and began again.”

            Sam stares at his friend, mouth gaping but a twitch of a smile pecking at his lips.

            Castiel continues staring past him, recollecting on the day he met the man who would soon change his life—seemingly unaware of how much _he_  had changed all theirs. “That was only the first time I had to do it, however” he chirps and Sam’s ears perk up—making him lean in to urge the angel to continue. “I appeared again as he and Bobby were bringing all their weapons and supplies into the barn. Dean had just come back out to pick up the last of his items when I came into view— _mind you_ , standing far enough away that he couldn’t knock me down again. I then felt that with us being outside and with the distance I had left between our bodies, I might have to raise my voice in order for him to hear me clearly. Yet, this vessel proved once again to be trickier to manage than I had anticipated, and as I raised my voice, my tongue and salivary glands overacted, and I sent quite a large amount of liquid flying from my mouth and in Dean’s direction. He instantly laughed at me and I felt embarrassment for the first time. It was not an enjoyable feeling— _still isn’t_ actually, but I went ahead and erased your brother’s memory again. It was then, I decided on a slow approach. I would let them get settled in the barn and try and _summon_ me, because I knew that’s what they were there to do. Once they did all that, then I would ‘announce’ myself so to speak, leaving less room for anymore snafus. Thankfully—the third times the charm, as your kind likes to say.”

            The angel finishes his tale and Sam can’t help but just sit and gawk, wondering how Cas has gone all these years without ever letting this, rather large cat out of the bag. The guy was a terrible liar after all – well, _most of the time_. He finally feels himself start to crack. A laugh bursts from his insides, making him shake the entire car as he booms and claps, eventually letting his large hand fall onto his friend’s shoulder. He wipes the joyful tears away from his eyes with his other before finally peering back up to Castiel—grinning wider as he sees the angel’s grin. “Oh man! You _are_ going to have to tell Dean that eventually, but can you do me a favor and wait a little longer before you do? I think it’ll be good for me to have something I can hang over him for a while!”

            Castiel purses his lips, still smiling but obviously confused. “Of course, Sam. He has been in the dark for many years regarding this. I don’t see how being in the dark a little longer will hurt.”

            Sam laughs some more, knowing that nothing could be less true. Dean will only get pissier the longer he stays out of the loop—but that’s what makes this all the more fun. There is rarely a time when Sam gets to know about something before his older brother, and he sure as hell isn’t going to let this chance slip away.

***

            Dean meets them in the study—drawn in by his brother’s and the angel’s rowdy laughter. “Well, it seems like you two are finally over all that awkward crap.” He walks over and pats Sam on the back, then slides across to give Castiel a kiss on the cheek.

            The angel beams and nods enthusiastically. “Yes. I believe there will no longer be any awkwardness between Sam and myself.”

            Sam grins as he looks between his brother and his friend, truly enjoying the new calm that’s resting among them.

            Dean laughs and reaches out to collect the angel’s hand. “I’m glad to hear it. Hopefully, you’ll still feel that way when you’re sober … _seriously_ , how much did you drink? You smell like an entire bar.”

            Castiel and Sam erupt into a new riot, leaving the sober Winchester with nothing to do except wait for it to pass. After another few minutes, they finally settle—pushing at each other’s shoulders and muttering little phrases about _tanks_ and _manure_.

            Dean stares at them both, looking puzzled but happy, and Sam thinks it might be his favorite of all his brother’s expressions. “Well, I don’t know what you two have been up to all night, and I might be a little afraid to know.”

            Sam lets out a few more chuckles before nudging Dean’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t worry, man, we’ll tell you _all_ about it in the morning” he says, sliding past his brother to head towards his room.

            He turns back as he hears Dean huff, “Now I’m _really_ concerned. Hopefully, if it’s really bad though, you just won’t remember it by the morning.”

            Sam grins as Castiel catches his eye and he watches as the angel leans in close to Dean, speaking just loud enough for them both to hear. “You know, Dean, that can be arranged.”

            Dean is once again left clueless in the midst of the other two’s hilarity, and his confused face only makes Sam and their favorite angel of the lord, laugh all the louder.

           

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fifth installment of my Daily Destiel Drabble series that I've been posting on tumblr.
> 
> Find me there at castiel-left-his-mark-on-me.
> 
> Also, check out the rest of my Ao3 for more Destiel/ Cockles love, smut and feels!


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